Abramovich unable to dock in Antibes

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Kingdom ousts Eclipse into harbour

Roman Abramovich has been unable to dock his new superyacht in the resort of Antibes and was forced to leave it out at sea.

According to a report in London's Metro newspaper, his 176m (577ft) motoryacht Eclipse was forced to remain out at sea when officials told his crew that the only berth large enough for her was already taken by the 80m (265ft) yacht Kingdom, owned by Saudi sheikh Prince Aziz al Saud.

Eclipse is now said to stationed offshore a few hundred yards from Abramovich's beachfront chateau.

The Metro describes the incident as "the latest setback for the tycoon, who failed in an application three years ago to build his own pontoon at the villa". It adds that "Antibes International Yacht Club says plans to build another large berth at the marina could be years away".

Eclipse is the world's biggest private yacht and boasts a missile-detection system, two helipads, a spa, swimming pool and a mini-submarine. It also has armour-plating around Abramovich's master suite and bullet-proof windows.

The 41-year-old oligarch, worth an estimated £20bn, owns at least three other superyachts — Pelorus, Ecstasea and Sussurro.